What Now! OPT Triggered After Just 15 Days!

The way in which the immigration control department has been working in the United States is beyond ordinary and people are not even able to guess the working pattern. Here is another incident that is instating the kind of abnormal activity that is happening with the United States administration.

Reportedly, a student on an F1 visa who believed they had fully followed all the rules for Optional Practical Training in the United States was surprised when United States Citizenship and Immigration Services sent a Request for Evidence.

The notice accused the student of having an unemployment gap of fifteen days. The student said they were continuously employed at a state college and had proper documents to prove it. Still the notice asked for detailed proof of employment such as joining and exit dates, pay slips, employer letters and evidence of remote work if it existed.

This situation has created worry among many international students because the flagged fifteen day gap is far shorter than the ninety day unemployment allowance permitted under Optional Practical Training.

The incident suggests that there may now be tighter checks or automated systems that flag even very short breaks or reporting delays. Many students fear that small interruptions or simple delays in updating their employment information could lead to problems with their visa status.

Even those who believe they have clean records are now concerned. For many students this feels like a sudden shift toward strict enforcement that could harm them even when they have genuine and active employment.